ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland men's basketball program opened exhibition play with a 74-69 loss to in-state foe Eastern Michigan on Thursday night inside the Athletics Center O'rena. All ticket proceeds went to Covenant Academy, a COVID-relief organization based in Michigan. 

The home matchup marked the first-ever game in front of fans at the O'rena for eight of the nine Golden Grizzlies that received playing time. Three scored in double-figures, led by graduate transfer Jamal Cain, who notched a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Junior point guard Jalen Moore finished 14 points and a team-best eight assists, while sophomore guard Blake Lampman came up big with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting to go along with two steals. Freshman Osei Price made an impression in his first-career game sporting the Black and Gold, as he went 3-for-4 from deep. 

OU's defense caused its share of mistakes in the matchup forcing 14 EMU turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 15 points on the other end of the floor. Trey Townsend paced the defense with a game-leading three steals. 

EMU held the advantage in several categories, including field goal percentage (49.2%-to-40%), rebounds (40-to-33), assists (17-to-15), fast-break points (21-to-10), and bench points (25-to-10). Noah Farrakhan totaled a game-high 27 points on 13-of-19 shooting to go along with seven rebounds to lead the Eagles. 

The Golden Grizzlies built a 20-11 lead with 11:28 minutes remaining in the first half. Price and Lampman combined for 11 of OU's first 20 points. The Eagles tied the contest, 27-27, at the 3:56-mark and claimed their first lead of the game with a half-ending buzzer-beater, going into the break on top, 35-34. 

The second half went back-and-forth with 10 lead changes and eight ties. Neither team led by more than five points for the entirety of the period. Cain was at his best in the half with 18 points and six rebounds. He also went 8-of-9 from the charity stripe in the final 20 minutes. 

A Moore 3-pointer followed by two free throws by Cain put Oakland in front, 66-64, with 3:11 minutes remaining in the second half. However, the Eagles answered with a 7-2 run to take a 71-66 lead. The five-point deficit proved too much for the Golden Grizzlies to overcome, resulting in a 74-69 final. 

OU will conclude exhibition action on Friday, Nov. 5, against Lake Superior State at home.  

Highlights


Press Conference